Boiler having exhaust gas temperature control unit using temperature sensor and method for controlling same

ABSTRACT

A boiler having a combustion and exhaust unit having a burner for combusting fuel to generate heat, an exhaust port for discharging the combustion residue outside the boiler, and an exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust port, for guiding the combustion residue into the open air; a circulation unit for circulating hot water to provide hot water and heat for the user; a heat exchange unit for absorbing the heat generated from the burner to make hot water and for supplying the hot water to the circulation part, with both ends of the heat exchange part being connected to the circulation part; and a control unit including an outlet temperature sensor arranged in the outlet of the heat exchange unit, an inlet temperature sensor arranged in the inlet of the heat exchange unit, and a controller for calculating the temperatures measured by the inlet and outlet temperature sensors so as to control whether to operate the boiler or not.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a boiler capable of using an exhaust pipe of a PVC material, and more particularly, to a boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor which may be equipped inside a combustion unit such as the boiler or a water heater to control a temperature of the exhaust gas and may be equipped with an exhaust pipe of a PVC material and a method for controlling the same.

BACKGROUND ART

A combustion unit is collectively called a boiler or a water heater and is a device which heats water with combustion heat generated by combusting gas or oil and supplies the heated water to an office and heats cold direct water to supply hot water.

The combustion unit is equipped with an exhaust pipe through which exhaust gas combusted in and then discharged from a combustion chamber of the combustion unit is discharged. Since houses which are built in North America such as Canada or the United States have a relatively large scale and have boilers or water heaters mainly installed at basements or corners thereof, in order to draw out an intake port and an exhaust portion to the outside thereof, there is a need to connect a plurality of PVC pipes to the intake port and the exhaust port which are drawn out to the outside of the house. When the exhaust pipe of stainless steel is used, there is a problem in that much installation cost may be required and economical feasibility may be degraded.

In this case, since the exhaust pipe does not permit a use of a PVC product as a single item of a product in the country, the exhaust pipe is mainly made of stainless steel; however, the exhaust pipe may be made of PVC at the time of being installed as a complex exhaust system due to a change in relevant regulations from April, 2012 and is scheduled to be changed to use the PVC as a single product from now on.

Therefore, when the exhaust pipe of the combustion unit intends to be mainly used as the PVC pipe to save the installation cost, the respective pipes have connection portions which need to be bonded to each other by bond (PVC cement).

The PVC pipe is permitted only to products in which the temperature of exhaust gas of the combustion unit is equal to or less than of 65° C. or less. However, there may be a tool using the water heater for heating, and the case in which the discharged exhaust gas exceeds 65° C. frequently occurs. Thus, when the exhaust gas exceeds 65° C., the PVC pipe or the connected portion of the PVC pipe is melted and therefore the exhaust gas is leaked, thereby causing safety accidents.

Therefore, in order to limit a setting temperature of the water heater and the boiler to supplement these problems, a separate control unit needs to be installed and therefore a structure may be complicated and cost may be increased, and the installation cost may be increased due to the use of a safe CPVC pipe which may withstand the exhaust gas which reaches about 90° C.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An object of the present invention is to provide a boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor in which a PVC pipe may be installed at an exhaust port by controlling a temperature of exhaust gas to be equal to or less than 65° C. by measuring a temperature of an inlet of a heat exchanger and a temperature of an outlet of the heat exchanger and a method for controlling the same.

Technical Solution

To achieve the above-mentioned technical problem, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is a provided a boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor, including: a combustion and exhaust unit configured to include a burner combusting fuel to generate heat, an exhaust port discharging combusting residues outside the boiler, and an exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust port to discharge the combustion residues into the air; a circulation unit configured to circulate hot water to provide hot water and heating to a user; a heat exchange unit configured to absorb the heat generated from the burner to generate hot water and have both ends connected to the circulation unit to supply the hot water to the circulation unit; and a control unit configured to include an outlet temperature sensor installed at an outlet of the heat exchange unit to measure a temperature of the hot water, an inlet temperature sensor installed at an inlet of the heat exchange unit to measure a temperature of cold water introduced from the circulation unit, and a controller calculating temperature values measured by the outlet temperature sensor and the inlet temperature sensor to control whether the boiler is operated.

Further, the exhaust pipe may be made of a PVC material.

To achieve the above-mentioned technical problem, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is a provided a method for controlling a temperature of exhaust gas using a temperature sensor, including: initializing a calculation value of the temperature of the exhaust gas of a controller when the boiler is in an operation condition and thus performs a combustion operation; measuring and storing, by the controller, a temperature of an inlet and a temperature of an outlet of a heat exchanger using an outlet temperature sensor and an inlet temperature sensor; calculating, by the controller, the temperature of the exhaust gas; determining, by the controller, whether the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds a meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe; controlling, by the controller, a combustion operation to stop if it is determined that the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe; and controlling, by the controller, a series of combustion operations to be performed if it is determined that the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas is equal to or less than the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe.

Further, the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe may be 65° C.

Advantageous Effects

According to the boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor and the method for controlling the same according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cheap PVC may be used as the exhaust pipe, thereby facilitating the installation, and the existing temperature sensor may perform the control and thus the use of the separate controller is not required, thereby saving the installation cost.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for describing a method for controlling a temperature of exhaust gas according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE

In order to fully understand the present invention, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in many different forms and the scope of the invention should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be noted that the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same components in each drawing. Further, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or constructions will be omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor is configured to include a combustion and exhaust unit 100 configured to combust supplied fuel or discharge combusted smoke, combustion residues, or the like, outside the boiler, a heat exchange unit 200 configured to absorb heat generated from the combustion and exhaust unit 100 to supply hot water, and a circulation unit 400 configured to circulate the hot water supplied from the heat exchange unit 200 and provide the hot water and heating to a user, and a controller 400 configured to control whether the boiler is operated.

The combustion and exhaust unit 100 includes an intake port 110 configured to suck air required for combustion, a burner 120 configured to combust fuel to generate heat, an exhaust port 130 configured to discharge the combustion residues, and the like from the burner 120 to the outside of the boiler, and an exhaust pipe 140 configured to be connected to the exhaust port 130 to discharge the exhaust gas into the air.

Therefore, the air required for combustion is transferred to the burner 120 through the intake port 110 and passes through the exhaust port 130 and the exhaust pipe 140 and is then discharged into the air through the heat exchange unit 200.

The heat exchange unit 200 absorbs heat generated from the burner 120 to generate hot water and has both ends connected to the circulation unit 300 to supply the hot water to the circulation unit 300.

The circulation unit 300 is supplied with the hot water from the heat exchange unit 200 to provide heating and hot water to a user. In this case, the circulation unit 300 includes a circulation pump 310 configured to again return used relatively cold water to the heat exchange unit 200 and circulate the cold water.

The control unit 400 includes an outlet temperature sensor configured to be installed at an outlet of the heat exchange unit 200 to measure a temperature of hot water, an inlet temperature sensor 420 configured to be installed at an inlet of the heat exchange unit 200 to measure a temperature of cold water introduced from the circulation unit 300, and a controller 430 configured to calculate temperature values measured by the outlet temperature sensor 410 and the inlet temperature sensor 430 to control whether the boiler is operated.

Therefore, it is possible to detect the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged through the exhaust port 130 by calculating the temperature of hot water absorbing the heat generated from the burner 120 and the relatively cold water used by the user.

The temperature of the exhaust gas may be calculated by the following Equation.

Temperature of Exhaust Gas=(Temperature of Inlet of Heat Exchanger+Temperature of Outlet of Heat Exchanger)/2  Equation)

As the exhaust pipe 140 configured to be connected to the exhaust port 130 to discharge the exhaust gas into the air is made of PVC, the exhaust pipe 140 is permitted to be used only within a range of meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe. In consideration of this, the exhaust pipe 140 is permitted to be used when the current temperature of the exhaust gas of the combustion unit is equal to or less than about 65° C. When the exhaust gas exceeds 65° C., the PVC pipe or the connected portion of the PVC pipe is melted and therefore the exhaust gas is leaked, thereby causing safety accidents.

Therefore, the controller 430 calculates the temperature values of the outlet temperature sensor 410 and the inlet temperature sensor 420 to monitor the temperature of the exhaust gas at all times and when the current temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds 65° C. which is the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 of a PVC material, the burner 120 is turned off to control the temperature of the exhaust gas to stop the combustion and the like, thereby preventing safety accidents from occurring.

Further, when the current temperature of the exhaust gas is equal to or less than about 65° C., the re-combustion is performed and therefore the installation is simple due to the use of the exhaust pipe 140 of the PVC material, and the existing temperature sensor and the cheap controller are used and therefore a separate expensive control unit is not required, thereby reducing the installation cost.

Hereinafter, a method for controlling a temperature of exhaust gas using a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

When the boiler is in an operation condition ant thus first performs a combustion operation, that is, when the circulation pump 310 configured in the boiler is operated, the controller 430 in the boiler initializes the calculation value of the temperature of the exhaust gas (see S10).

Further, the controller 430 measures and stores an inlet temperature T1 and an outlet temperature T2 of the heat exchanger using the outlet temperature sensor 410 and the inlet temperature sensor 420 (see S20 and S30).

In the next step, the controller 430 calculates the temperature of the exhaust gas using the following Equation (see S40).

Temperature T2 of Inlet of Heat Exchanger+Temperature T1 of Outlet of Heat Exchanger)/2  Equation)

Therefore, the controller 430 determines whether the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 and if it is determined that the meltable temperature exceeds the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140, the combustion operation stops to keep the temperature of the exhaust gas at the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 at all times, such that the exhaust pipe 140 of the PVC material may be used (see S60 and S70).

Meanwhile, in the determining whether the temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140, when the temperature of the exhaust gas is equal to or less than the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140, a series of combustion operations, that is, firing and combustion processes are performed (see S80).

The embodiments of the boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor and the method for controlling the same as described above are only the example. Therefore, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from the present invention. Therefore, it may be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the forms mentioned in the above detailed description. Accordingly, the actual technical protection scope of the present invention must be determined by the spirit of the appended claims. Further, it is to be construed that the present invention includes all the changes, equivalents, and substitutions which are defined in the appending claims.

EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS

-   -   110: Combustion and exhaust unit     -   110: Intake port     -   120: Burner     -   130: Exhaust port     -   140: Exhaust pipe     -   200: Heat exchange unit     -   300: Circulation unit     -   310: Circulation pump     -   400: Control unit     -   410: Outlet temperature sensor     -   420: Inlet temperature sensor     -   430: Controller 

1. A boiler having an exhaust gas temperature control unit using a temperature sensor, comprising: a combustion and exhaust unit 100 configured to include a burner 120 combusting fuel to generate heat, an exhaust port 130 discharging combusting residues outside the boiler, and an exhaust pipe 140 connected to the exhaust port 130 to discharge the combustion residues into the air; a circulation unit 300 configured to circulate hot water to provide hot water and heating to a user; a heat exchange unit 200 configured to absorb the heat generated from the burner 120 to generate hot water and have both ends connected to the circulation unit 300 to supply the hot water to the circulation unit 300; and a control unit 400 configured to include an outlet temperature sensor 410 installed at an outlet of the heat exchange unit 200 to measure a temperature of the hot water, an inlet temperature sensor 420 installed at an inlet of the heat exchange unit 200 to measure a temperature of cold water introduced from the circulation unit 300, and a controller 430 calculating temperature values measured by the outlet temperature sensor 410 and the inlet temperature sensor 420 to control whether the boiler is operated.
 2. The boiler of claim 1, wherein the exhaust pipe 140 is made of a PVC material.
 3. A method for controlling a temperature of exhaust gas using a temperature sensor, comprising: initializing a calculation value of the temperature of the exhaust gas of a controller 430 when the boiler is in an operation condition and thus performs a combustion operation (S10); measuring and storing, by the controller 430, a temperature T1 of an inlet and a temperature T2 of an outlet of a heat exchanger using an outlet temperature sensor 410 and an inlet temperature sensor 420 (S20 and S30); calculating, by the controller 430, the temperature of the exhaust gas (S40); determining, by the controller 430, whether the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds a meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 (S60); controlling, by the controller 430, a combustion operation to stop if it is determined that the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas exceeds the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 (S70); and controlling, by the controller 430, a series of combustion operations to be performed if it is determined that the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas is equal to or less than the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 (S80).
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the meltable temperature of the exhaust pipe 140 is 65° C. 